Andre's Mother

Award winning actress Sada Thompson gives a poignant performance as the closed, reserved mother of Andre, a promising young actor who has just died of AIDS, in this excellent adaptation of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning author Terrence McNally's play. Richard Thomas stars as Cal, Andre's companion, who helps Andre's mother come to terms with her feelings about her son's homosexual lifestyle and death. Told through flashbacks during and after Andre's memorial service, this touching story beautifully illustrates how the decisions we make regarding our own lives and relationships impacts the lives of those around us. Although only an hour in length, Andre's Mother draws the viewer into the story immediately, carrying its powerful, emotional message simply, in a top-notch production that plays like a motion picture with beautifully framed scenes and without the visual "graininess" and audio reverb that accompanies many filmed plays. This PBS-aired American Playhouse entry won an Emmy for outstanding writing and was named an "Outstanding Television Movie" by the National Board of Review. Highly recommended. Five other acclaimed American Playhouse titles are newly available or re-released: the superb Who Am I This Time? (VL-10/87), starring Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon; Under the Biltmore Clock (VL-10/87); Land of Little Rain, starring Helen Hunt); O Pioneers! and An Enemy of the People, all priced at $24.95. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)